The Food That Built America

A short order chef invents the hamburger bun and engineers a new way of making a burger faster than ever before; Nathan Handwerker invests his life savings into a hot dog stand at Coney Island.

Herman Lay takes regional and small-time chips business to a national scale with his cutting-edge sales techniques and world-changing packaging technology, while a rival innovator invents a new kind of snack chip that will challenge Lay's crown.

Coffee's quality and popularity wane by the 1960s, until a handful of visionaries turn the industry on its head. First, three college friends create an iconic brand of revolutionary gourmet Coffee. Then, this now-iconic chain creates an entirely new category of restaurant.

A chemist working at the Joseph A. Campbell preserve company invents a condensed soup, which attracts attention from Henry Heinz, who, becomes a competitor in a race for revolutionary innovation and nationwide soup sales dominance.

A cereal executive's bold idea to finance the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie will kick-off a candy revolution that produces some of the most iconic, imaginative confections in history.

In the 1970s, one major cola brand launches a blind taste test marketing plan that takes direct aim at their biggest competitor. As a new era of competition heats up between the behemoth brands, each side selects a new leader who takes the companies to battle in a rivalry that will birth countless iconic soda products and memorable marketing stunts.

In New York City, former Olympic wrestler Rocky Aoki and a perfume salesman become the unlikely fathers of a casual dining revolution when they open wildly different establishments in the heart of the city: one of America's first Japanese restaurants, and a swinging singles bar that will go on to become one of the country's most iconic restaurant chains.

Before chicken wings were America's favorite Sunday football snack, they were considered an undesirable cut of meat. Until two restaurateurs in Buffalo, New York, reinvent the way wings are cooked.

In the late 1800s, German immigrants Joseph Schlitz and Captain Frederick Pabst find themselves in a battle for beer dominance. In their fight for one-upmanship, they will help create the most popular alcoholic beverage on the planet.

In a quest to dominate the growing commercial bread industry, Lee Marshall bets on a new kind of white loaf, unwittingly inspiring a homemaker named Margaret Rudkin to come up with a healthier alternative.

Hollywood agent Wally Amos transforms his professional life when he decides to make and sell his own gourmet chocolate chip cookies, and opens America's first cookie store; housewife Debbi Fields opens her home-style cookie shop in a mall.

Gilbert Swanson inherits his father's frozen turkey company and innovates the TV Dinner; And restaurateur Vernon Stouffer brings his frozen meals to market, while also harnesses sing a new technology called...the microwave.

In 1919, Milton Hershey is king of the chocolate business. But everything changes when in a Post WW1 sugar price drop, a rush of competitors spring up.

Martha Entenmann takes the reins of her late husband's baking company and grows it into a national powerhouse; a married couple bankrupt one bakery, but succeed their second time around with a revolutionary way to sell snack cakes.

Dos importantes marcas de cereales compiten por dominar el mercado del desayuno. Un robo de idea intensifica su rivalidad, convirtiendo el desayuno de una comida sentada a una opción práctica para llevar.

In the 1950's, two enterprising brothers from Wichita, Kansas aim to build their restaurant, Pizza Hut, into a franchise empire. Domino's, threatens to derail their first-of-its-kind pizza franchise juggernaut.

Hector and Mario Boiardi open an Italian restaurant in Cleveland in 1924 and soon introduce Italian food to Americans; the brothers eventually find themselves in competition with James Kraft and his newest offering, macaroni and cheese.

Reedited segment from the first episode about the private war between innovator Will Kellogg and ripoff artist C.W. Post that led to the creation of the breakfast cereal industry and redefined the concept of breakfast.

In the 1970's, Ray Kroc is far ahead of the competition, but when a burger chain, claiming to be king, poaches his third-highest ranking executive, Don Smith, it's war.

A devout Georgia diner owner stumbles into the chicken game when he develops a unique fried chicken sandwich with a batch of cast-off filets. The unique sandwich he creates will become the menu centerpiece at one of the most popular fast-food chains in the world.

William Wrigley stumbles upon a new product that kickstarts a revolution across industries and sparks a lifelong rivalry.

When Colonel Sanders sells his company to investors in 1964, the new owners identify a rising star within the organization: Dave Thomas.

When his ice cream truck breaks down, Tom Carvel discovers that half-melted ice cream is a surefire hit with customers.

When an entrepreneur creates shelf-stable peanut butter out of his garage, it leads to the birth of an iconic sandwich; as competition heats up to be America's favorite peanut butter, three famous brands battle it out to be number one.

A look at some staples of Thanksgiving dinner that weren't around until a few brands used technological advances to reinvent turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and more; food innovators made each part of the meal accessible.